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Unlocking Federal Job Opportunities: A Guide For Non-Veterans

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Understanding Eligibility for Federal Jobs

To optimize your job hunt, it’s important to understand how candidates are evaluated. All federal jobs typically require U.S. citizenship, but the nuances lie in the specifics of each posting – e.g., duties, conditions of employment, qualifications, how you will be evaluated, etc. Here’s a breakdown of what you should consider:

1. Direct Hire Positions: These roles allow agencies to recruit directly, bypassing the veterans’ preference. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal majorly funds such roles, particularly in fields like cybersecurity, STEM, veterinary services, and contract specializations. Always scrutinize the job details to discern if it falls under direct hire.

2. Excepted Service Positions: These roles deviate from the standard hiring process due to their unique agency-based requirements. Examples include roles within the Intelligence Community, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), certain financial regulatory agencies, and specific positions within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Additionally, the legislative branch, including entities like the Library of Congress and the Government Accountability Office, also falls under this category, as does every role within the Senior Executive Service (SES).

3. Non-Competitive Appointments: Some candidates might be eligible for positions based on certain considerations, making their appointment process distinct. This includes:

  • Former Peace Corps or AmeriCorps volunteers
  • Military spouses
  • Individuals with disabilities
  • Selected veterans
  • Graduates from certain academic programs

Federal employment offers a wide variety of career opportunities. However, navigating it requires due diligence. Always pay particular attention to details within the job announcement, and when in doubt, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Agency human resource contact at the end of the job posting for clarity.

Initiating Your Job Hunt

Additional information on how to navigate the federal hiring process can be found at USAJOBS. If you’re just setting out on your job-seeking journey or need additional insights, visit https://www.usajobs.gov/help/ for guidance.

‍‍This post was written by Nancy Segal in collaboration with Federal Career Connection, Inc., an independently organized educational nonprofit organization who are grounded in community service and commitment to helping individuals in career transition. Learn more about the partnership by clicking here!

Do You Know There’s More Than One Way To Get A Federal Job?

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While most federal jobseekers are focused on USAJOBS, there are dozens (and dozens) of approaches to get a federal job. You’ve already figured out that getting a federal job is complicated. And you may well know that veterans’ preference can be challenging—if you are not a veteran and trying to get your first federal position.

‍What do you need to know?

A) Not all positions require the use of veterans’ preference.

B) Some veterans may be eligible for as many as 4 different hiring eligibilities while others may be eligible for none.

C) There are many agency-specific hiring authorities; if you are a veterinarian, for example, or looking to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an emergency specialist, or a healthcare provider looking to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—just to name a few—the “standard” hiring process may not apply.

D) The Intelligence Community (IC), which includes 17 different agencies, has its own hiring process. And the IC hires a wide range of expertise, everything from security to STEM to intelligence analysis, contracting, computer science, and foreign language, to name a few. Here is a great place to start: https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/career-fields.

E) Lots of agencies have student internships (paid, too); the government also offers its Pathways Program for students still in school, recently graduated, and the prestigious Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) program. Start here for additional information: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/students/.

F) Other possible approaches (not inclusive) include being a military spouse, an individual with disabilities, a Native American (either American Indian or Alaska Native), a returning Peace Corps Volunteer, a former AmeriCorps volunteer, a current or former Department of State or Foreign Service Officer, to name a few. This can be complicated (as you can tell) and specific paperwork is required to establish your eligibility, but if you fall into one of these job categories, you should take advantage.

As you can see from the above, getting a federal job is about more than just applying through USAJOBS.gov. In some cases, you may not even need to use USAJOBS at all!! This is not easy to navigate and getting a federal job takes time (and likely multiple applications) but it IS doable. Good luck!

‍This post was written by Nancy Segal in collaboration with Federal Career Connection, Inc., an independently organized educational nonprofit organization who are grounded in community service and commitment to helping individuals in career transition. Learn more about the partnership by clicking here!